Court arrests 44 at defense contractor ASELSAN over coup involvement

44 of the 84 detained employees of Turkey’s largest defense electronics company ASELSAN were arrested over Gülen movement links and coup involvement of July 15 in Ankara on Thursday.

On March 9, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office issued detention warrants for 84 people working at ASELSAN, connected to the country’s armed forces foundation, for alleged involvement in coup plotting.

The remainder detainees were released on probation.

Over 135,000 people, including thousands within the military, have been purged due to their real or alleged connection to the Gülen movement since the coup attempt, according to a statement by the labor minister on Jan. 10.

As of March 23, 94,982 people were being held without charge, with an additional 47,128 in pre-trial detention due to their alleged links to the movement. A total of 7,317 academics were purged as well as 4,272 judges and prosecutors who were dismissed due to alleged involvements in the July 15 coup attempt.